Geek bliss: Japanese man pledges to have, hold and cherish a hologram

Blog note… Exchanging truth for lies, good for evil, light for darkness, natural for the unnatural, flesh (real) for the virtual (fake). End of note.

KwiyeonHa. NOVEMBER 14, 2018 / 3:25 AM. reuters.

TOKYO
(Reuters) – When newlywed Akihiko Kondo returns from work at a middle school in
a Tokyo suburb, he is greeted by the love of his life, who lights up –
literally – in welcome.

His wife, Hatsune Miku,
is not flesh and blood but a computer-generated hologram.

Her ethereal
existence did not stop Kondo, 35, from strengthening his commitment to her with
a recent $18,000 wedding ceremony. “I believe the shape of
happiness and love is different for each person,” Kondo told Reuters Television.
“There definitely is a template for happiness, where a real man and woman get
married, have a child and live all together. But I don’t believe such a
template can necessarily make everyone happy,” the civil servant said.

Hatsune Miku was
developed as computer-generated singing software with the persona of a
big-eyed, 16-year-old pop star with long, aqua-colored hair. It is based on a
voice-synthesizing program by media firm Crypton Future Media, which
declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. The hologram recognizes Kondo’s
face and voice with its embedded camera and microphone and can respond with
simple phrases and songs.

Kondo, who
was convinced at a young age that he would never find a partner or marry, said
he discovered Hatsune Miku singing on the internet. After deciding Hatsune Miku
was “the one,” Kondo said he became devoted to his virtual girlfriend, who has
thousands of fans worldwide.

Extreme devotion to
celebrities is not uncommon in Japan, but Kondo’s wedding did raise some
eyebrows. While 39 friends and relatives attended the Nov. 4 ceremony, his
parents did not. The ceremony included the customary exchange of wedding rings.
His wife’s ring was placed on the finger of a stuffed doll shaped in her image.

Kondo
received good wishes and congratulations from friends and fellow Hatsune Miku
fans on Twitter. He was also accused of being a “creepy otaku,” or a geek. He
was among 3,700 Japanese who signed up for marriage registration forms offered
by tech developer Gatebox in 2017, enabling them to “wed” their favorite
virtual characters, although the ceremonies have no legal standing.
Nevertheless, Kondo hoped his wedding would inspire others to find marital
happiness, in whatever form it might take. “People messaged me, saying they
were encouraged,” he said. “I think it was nice to have this wedding for that
reason.”